In 2012 there were 1,223 climbers on Denali and 6 on Foraker. The summit rate was 41 percent for the West Buttress, the preferred route for 93 percent of climbers. The average trip length was 17 days, the average age 39 years, and a record 162 women (13 percent of climbers) attempted the mountain. 37 percent of women made the summit.

Most climbers were from the US (730) with a slight plurality from Alaska (103). The busiest summit day was May 26 (56), but most summits were landed in June (280). There were six fatalities on the mountain: a climber fell while chasing a backpack at 16,200, a skier fell on the Orient Express, and four (out of a party of five) climbers were swept into a crevasse in an avalanche on Motorcycle Hill.

2013 is the centennial of the first ascent of Denali by Hudson Stuck's party, which stood on the summit June 7, 1913. The Mislow-Swanson Denali Pro Award went to Bernie Babcock of Alaska and his teammate Ben Smith of Montana. They responded to a request for help from another party on the "Shaken Not Stirred" route on the Moose's Tooth, rendering assistance that in all probability saved the life of a fellow climber. Way to go guys!